sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

My dealer (Johnson Lexus, Raleigh/Durham, NC) is one of the larger dealerships in the Southeast and they have a flush/pump setup ("Lexus"), which is their standard way of "changing" the fluid. They will drain and fill if you specifically request it, but their standard is the complete flush, which they recommend every 30,000 miles.

carguy07

Are you sure it is a Lexus machine. All I have ever seen is BG or similar aftermarket stuff. I thought the official Lexus stance was drain and fill, but dealers made their own guild lines.

mikey00

According to BG, Johnson has a BG machine. There are not many in the northeast. Last time I looked, I think the closest Lexus dealer to NJ with a machine is Brooklyn, NY. Yet almost every Toyota dealer has one.

code58

Salim- No Salim, that is not true. I have always done complete changes by disconnecting the line from the trans. to the cooler and letting the pump empty the trans. pan. It is shut off immediately at the 1st sign of air and the trans. pan refilled. When the new fluid comes through it is rather abrupt and you know your job is done. Fill to full, check in park or neutral when warm and it's all over. I always 1st remove the pan and clean, install new gasket and filter and fill with about 4 qts. of fluid before starting the engine. Doesn't have to be exact because it empties quickly when started. It would be almost impossible to maintain the circuit by adding it in the return line because there is no suction there at all- only pressure on the pump side. You would have to have a pump equal to the trans. internal pump to feed it in very quickly to keep up with the internal pump. I have always used the method I described very successfully. The poster that was concerned about running dry and damaging something has no worries, the pump is still bathed in oil when it sucks air and you immediately shut it down.

salimshah

Code, if you describe the fluid loop and your break open point, it might help me understand it better. My sequence can be wrong ...

Gravity drop down in to sump, filter, pump, TC, radiator, return to gearbox, gravity down.


If you dont want to run dry, you must feed the loop at the point of break. If you keep filling from top the fluid in TC will not get displaced.


Salim

ps: Personally, I see no reason to displace all the fluid (flush) and think drain and fill is adequate. I also feel that one does not need to drop the pan to clean the magnets and replace filter [unless the drain shows metal particles].

mikey00

What about those who are dropping the pan expecting to find a screen filter and are instead finding a paper or felt one? Here is what the filter council has to say;
http://www.amsoil.com/lit/filter_man_council01.pdf

Take for what it is worth considering where it is from.

mikey00

I like the sound of this method. Have you done this on a RX or is it more of a general automotive statement? If you have done it it on a RX exactly what line are you disconnecting and how many quarts of trans fluid total are you using. I would hate to be the first one to try this on a RX and find out for some reason the pump on the RX does not like to run dry. As long as you can confirm this is works on the RX I may use it next time.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

I guess it's a BG, then. The official Johnson Lexus stance is flush and refill (could it be the profit on 14 quarts of trans fluid they used to flush the system out completely?)

salimshah

OEM is mesh and not paper. The mesh skims the fluid from the top and never absorbs the fluid. Magnatisable objects get trapped by the magnet, the rest of sediments collect at the bottom. They are removed by the drain an flush. Unlike engine oil, not other stuff gets added to the fluid (gases and carbon), so in theory drain and fill ought to be enough.

Since there is a panic, owners are resorting to excessive (in my view) maintenance. Nothing is wrong with it, and it lets them sleep easier (if it does). There is no hard evidence that frequent fluid change will prolong transmission life. [at the same time, it does not hurt].

All I am saying is, check the condition of the fluid and drain and fill. If you observe something in the drained fluid, then drop the pan and inspect further.

My hunch is the problem in transmission is that it gets over-stressed, before warm up. Folks are getting on the freeways and want to go 60 while the gear limiter wants no to go more than 40mph. That has to do with the pump and not the fluid.

Salim

thomas1

However the mesh filter is no longer available from the dealer. The new part number supersedes the old one and the filter is the paper medium style. I can guarantee you if the fluid is brown and smells burnt you better get it out of there....

mikey00

According to posts by others, OEM may not always be the screen filter you are expecting. Some have found paper. I assumed mine was the screen but knowing what I know now, I wish I had dropped the pan and checked before having my rebuild done. Miller5 over on LOC had a trans with the same symptoms as mine and was able to revieve it by dropping the pan and changing the filter.
I was on a 15K drain and fill schedule which I thought was overkill but stuck with it because of the problems with these transmissions. Car was used primarily by my wife on a easy commute not exceeding 40mph. Car rarely saw a highway and when it did I don't believe it ever saw 60 before warming up. At 130K trans developed a "whirring" type of noise (for lack of a better description) and started having shift problems. I was sure trans was shot and had it rebuilt. In hindsight, I think the noise may have been the pump starving for fluid because of a clogged filter. Of course if the filter is clogged, something else is going on causing the filter to clog. But changing the filter may have provided some additional life.

thomas1

Your wifes commute is like my wife's, and that is the real killer, the tranny is always searching for overdrive. I told my wife to deselect overdrive in the hotter time of year.

salimshah

Sorry that your RX had transmission problem(s).

So what type of filter was inside when you had it rebuilt?

15k transfluid change, was that done from day1? {if so your case reinforces that frequent change does not help**

What was the root cause of your transmission problem as diagnosed by the tech.

Salim

thomas1

Since his wifes commute was like mine, I suspect the city driving puts the driving in the severe category. I had a friend across the street with the exact year and type RX, however his wifes commute was 90% freeway at speed with some city driving. His went 168k when it failed with no maintenance. The variable is the speed and better airflow across the tranny cooler and probably the lack of the tranny constantly changing gears.

lexus114

168,000 on an AWD?